Twin-Engine Plane Crashes, Burns in Western Montana

MISSOULA, Mont. (AP) — A twin-engine airplane plane crashed and caught fire in the parking lot of a western Montana ski area, killing the pilot.

Ravalli County Sheriff Chris Hoffman says the crash happened at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday just north of the ski lodge at the Lost Trial ski area near the Montana-Idaho border.

Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Allen Kenitzer says preliminary information indicates the plane was a Grumman G-21A with only the pilot on board.

Officials in Ravalli County did not know Tuesday night who owned the plane or where it was coming from.

One witness said the plane appeared to be spinning in the air before it came down flat in the parking lot and was destroyed by the fire.

National Transportation Safety Board and FAA officials were to investigate.